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Text-to-911 system set up in Kanawha County [Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va. :: ](Charleston Daily Mail (WV) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 22--A woman used her cellphone to call 911 for help during a domestic dispute but because her alleged attacker was in the room she couldn't speak without raising suspicions. But she was able to send a text message to an emergency dispatcher at Kanawha Metro 911 Communications Center, who was able to use the facility's new computer system to communicate with the woman. It's a new service Metro is offering. Kanawha County is the first in the state to offer the service and one of only several dozen counties in the U.S. "We're pretty much on the cutting edge," said John Rutherford, Kanawha Metro 911 director and sheriff. "The (Kanawha) County Commission and our board were very adamant. They wanted us to provide this service to our citizens." Brooke Hylbert, Metro human resources officer, said the commission gave $60,000 for the project. The text-to-911 system will begin receiving incoming texts this week, though dispatchers have been able to make outgoing texts since late May. Dispatchers can send text messages to cellphones only after receiving a call. "Call if you can, text when you can't," Rutherford said. He said officials traveled to 911 centers in nearby states to see texting systems in action. He noted that a similar program was in place in Indiana but that the public didn't know it existed. Rutherford said the agency wants the new system to be used when necessary. "We do want phone calls before texts, because of the ability to ask questions and dispatch calls quicker," he said. "But this is one more tool for them (the public) to use and for us to use to keep the citizens of Kanawha County as safe as we can." Dispatchers had been out of training for less than 24 hours when they received a call for help on May 30 from a woman involved in a domestic dispute. She was able to give them some information over the phone but hung up before dispatchers could get anymore. The dispatcher tried calling her back a couple of times, but he couldn't reach her. The dispatcher then pulled up the new texting system on his workstation and reached her that way. "We had this new feature, new ability to text so we initiated the text and we started getting a response," said Rick McElhaney, agency coordinator. "The other party was right beside her and didn't realize she was texting with 911." Dispatchers were able to get more information from the woman, such as her location, details about the argument and whether there were any weapons involved. Officers were dispatched and helped mediate the situation. Since the end of May, dispatchers have had more than 2,000 texting sessions. Currently, only Sprint and Verizon customers can send text messages to 911, but residents on other carriers can receive incoming messages after they call and hang up, said Russell Emrick, Metro's deputy director for technology. Emrick has been working with AT&T, which has a large number of cell customers in the area, and nTelos, a regional cell provider, in getting on board with the new system. Those on Sprint and Verizon simply can enter 911 in the number field and then input their message to dispatchers in the message field. Hylbert said users should avoid slang and abbreviations but try to keep it simple and to the point to avoid confusion and delays. Texting is becoming more mainstream than making voice calls, especially among younger people. She said officials plan on going into schools when students return to explain the new system to students. It's important to note that dispatchers still want to talk to residents. McElhaney said voice calls allow dispatchers to get more information by asking questions and assessing the caller's voice. "It's definitely so much better to have a voice call," McElhaney said. "If someone is whispering, if there's background noise, if someone's having a medical condition or they're choking or having a hard time breathing or anything like that, it's so much better to be able to have them over the phone. "You can tell so much from listening to a caller." But texting could be useful to someone being held against their will, who cannot speak due to a medical condition, or a deaf or hearing impaired person, who already has to use the TTY system--similar to the text messaging system. Rutherford said dispatchers have done well training and working with the new system. Officials ask that residents only use the service for true emergencies. For more information, visit www.metro911.org or call 304-746-6919. Contact writer Ashley B. Craig at [email protected] or 304-348-4850. ___ (c)2014 the Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, W.Va.) Visit the Charleston Daily Mail (Charleston, W.Va.) at www.dailymail.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |